Be Careful What You Cast For
by QueenCheetah
Summary: Messing with magic isn't always the brightest idea... a short two-part fic. BxR Tendershipping
1. Chapter 1

" _Nekhten pta'at anu khetut sheshdet!"_

The silver waters shivered at the cryptic words. A faint, blue light misted over the surface of the bowl.

The white-haired yami smirked. The mixture was reacting exactly as described.

The ancient Egyptian's eyes narrowed as he scoured over the remaining instructions. He mumbled random words to himself as he went through the lines.

"Salt of the Nile... reed of the hek'tah herb... sands of the red desert..."

He nodded as his gaze drew near the end of the list.

"Pour into a metal bowl... yes..."

The ancient manuscript was not easy to read- the pages had darkened and warped with centuries of wear. Still, the determined thief continued.

"A portion of the intended recipient... right." He quickly grabbed the red hairbrush sitting innocently on the edge of his bed. "This should do..." He carefully pulled out three long, white strands. He was just preparing to add them to the potion when there was a knock on the door.

"Bakura?"

 _'Sh_ _i_ _t!'_ The amateur alchemist jumped, nearly knocking over the still-glowing bowl. He quickly threw the bed covers over the mixture before getting up and moving towards the door. He leaned against the frame and spoke through the closed wooden barrier.

"What is it, hikari?" He forced his voice to sound as casual.

It had been several months since the yami's had returned to the mortal realm. In exchange for the Pharaoh's deeds and the other duelists' sufferings, the gods had 'gifted' the three yami's with bodies of their own. However, that 'offer' did present some problems- the most urgent of which was securing living accommodations.

After all, a physical person cannot live in someone else's mind... or jewelry. So the hikari's raced to find living quarters for their darker halves. Over time, each pair had devised some sort of arrangement. Malik and Marik managed to convince the other Ishtars that Marik was (for the most part) reformed. So the blonde duo easily settled under one roof. They had, after all, once been the same person.

Much to Ishizu's dismay- and Odion's stoic neutrality- they soon became _very_ close. But the two older siblings relented once it was made clear that most of Marik's darkness had been banished. Of course, the bronze yami's base personality remained; which gave him a mischievous streak that blended dreadfully well with his partner's.

And nowadays it was Ishizu who was far more likely to dwell on murdering Marik- rather than the other way around.

Yugi and his darker half had also grown into a closer relationship. The elder Motou had eagerly welcomed the Pharaoh back into their home; and so the Egyptian ruler stayed with his hikari, almost exactly like before. The arrangement suited them nicely, and they soon escalated to romantic partners as well.

But despite the merging of the other pairs, things were a bit more... _compl_ _icated_ for Ryou and his yami.

The Thief King never had a true 'home,' aside from his brief childhood. And frankly, the concept baffled him. The tomb robber wasn't exactly used to sharing his space; nor was he practiced in behaving (authentically) civil towards others.

Even his 'lighter half.'

At least Yami Yugi had been open with his host; often guiding and comforting the boy. But Yami Bakura had virtually no goodwill with the 'landlord' he had -repeatedly, and even _painfully_ \- used. Even when he was in the ring, he never really 'shared' Ryou's body with him. The dark duelist simply took over whenever he pleased.

Not exactly the best start to becoming first-class roommates.

Naturally, Yugi and his friends were all very surprised- and a little concerned- when their palest friend had agreed to look after the former scourge of Egypt. Ryou insisted that it was a temporary arrangement, meant to help the Thief King while he 'adjusted to modern living.'

Which was bull, of course. Bakura had spent years in Ryou's body. He knew enough about today's world to survive. Still, he decided it would be foolish not to take up the offer for free food and lodging while he searched for his own place. But then something rather unexpected had happened...

The voice on the other side of the door quickly brought Bakura back to his senses.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Bakura, but have you seen my red hairbrush? I think Malik might have borrowed it while he was here yesterday."

The thief quickly turned around and snatched the brush off the bed. He opened the door and handed the grooming tool to his hikari.

"Here."

Ryou looked as if he wanted to ask why his hairbrush was in Bakura's room, but then seemed to think better of it. "Riiight... thank you. Anyway, I'm going to get dinner started- I'm making stir-fry tonight. Would you like extra chicken with yours?"

The pale yami snorted, but it was in amusement, not derision. "You have to ask?"

Ryou chuckled as he closed the door. "Just checking!"

Though his hikari's footsteps had faded down the hall, the darker duelist continued leaning against the door frame. A rather pleased look took over his face.

Things were gradually growing more comfortable between the two of them. Bakura was slowly learning how to act like a grateful house-guest; rather than an arrogant parasite.

Of course, it did help that he was no longer possessed by a dark demon.

Being driven since childhood by the brutal monster Zorc, the sole survivor of Kul Elna had been dulled to nearly all emotion. The dark demon did not want his vessel distracted by petty, human inclinations such as 'sympathy' and 'romance.'

But now that Zorc was gone and Bakura was 'revived;' the notions of long-lost feelings had started to return.

He was still no angel; that much was _very_ clear, but the tomb robber was definitely more human.

And he was starting to experience emotions that had long lain dormant in his demon-influenced form. Bakura was no longer blinded by Zorc's supernatural evils or his own obsessive vengeance. Slowly, he started to feel some rather unpleasant feelings- like remorse, and regret. He never verbally apologized to Ryou (or anyone else), but he did make an effort to act a little more civil and respectful towards his 'landlord.'

Ryou seemed grateful for these efforts, and things seemed to be smoothing out nicely for the two housemates.

But then came the more interesting emotions... over the next few months, Bakura began to notice things about his hikari that he never really noticed before. Such as how his cocoa-tinted eyes sparkled when he laughed; and how his shining hair was so much purer and softer than Bakura's own; and how his pale lips flushed whenever he made that adorable 'startled' face...

The painful-yet-somehow-pleasant feelings confused him to no end. Eventually the stubborn yami decided that these irritating feelings were related to that loathsome affliction that the Pharaoh called 'love.' (Malik had other words for it; however his terms were more vulgar than Bakura thought fitting).

Bakura detested the thought of being a slave to his new flesh, and devised a foolproof plan. He 'borrowed' a very old book from Ryou's father's many Egyptian artifacts, and found a spell that could clear up his dilemma. It was a charm-type spell, designed to forge a brief infatuation between the caster and the victim.

Bakura reasoned that he could use this enchantment to (temporarily) push Ryou into acting amorously towards him. _Th_ _is_ would make it easier for him sort through his muddled feelings and determine his real desires. If the thief was no longer attracted to the hikari, then he'd simply remove the spell and that would be that.

And if Bakura _did_ still have these strange desires... well... he'd cross that bridge if he came to it.

After a few moments of lazy thought, the partially reformed outlaw turned back to his spell. All the other ingredients had been retrieved (stolen) from either Ryou's father's study, or the Domino Museum where Ishizu now worked.

"Then this should be the final step..." He uncovered the bowl and grabbed the silvery-strands lying on the bed. He dropped in the three, fine hairs and waited. The uncanny liquid soon bubbled and frothed. The thick waters swirled as they turned from silvery to pale blue to a rich red. Then they seemed to partially evaporate, and dispersed into a cerise fog that drifted towards the hallway.

Bakura flew up and ran to the door-frame to watch the vivid haze. The otherworldly mist quickly headed down the stairs towards its intended target.

Bakura gave a triumphant grin. 'Perfect- this should lead my dear little hikari into a passionate mind-set.'

No sooner than he completed the ritual, a loud cry rang throughout the home.

" _ **Bakura!**_ **"**

The thief blinked. That did _not_ sound like the love-struck cry of an adoring admirer.

But he kept his voice unassuming as he replied back. "What?"

Ryou came marching up the stairs- his chocolate-colored eyes were partly narrowed and he looked rather peeved. "I just received a phone call from Mrs. Ishimoto- you know, the nice, old lady who lives down the street? The one who yelled at you last week for messing with her cat?"

The pale teen stopped only a foot from his yami's face. Bakura didn't flinch, but he listened with growing unease.

"And, _oddly_ enough, she found something quite disturbing in her garden today." Ryou folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. Bakura tried not to look directly into his hikari's eyes. " _Apparently_ , someone bought several boxes of _**condoms**_ , _unwrapped_ the so-called 'products,' and _situated_ them on top of all the vegetables in her garden!"

The other duelist gave a dark chuckle and waved one hand in correction. "Tch, it wasn't every vegetable; we couldn't even get the tomatoes to- oh, bollocks." The yami halted when he saw the look on his hikari's face.

Ryou placed a palm over his forehead. "I see- and I'm assuming that 'we' includes a certain pair of blondes that frequently help you terrorize this neighborhood?"

"...possibly?"

The slender hikari sighed, but his expression turned oddly blank. "Did you take any pictures?"

The thief blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Did you or Malik take any pictures afterward?" His hikari's face suddenly grew a faint grin. "Because honestly, that must've been quite a display."

Bakura smirked. _'_ _Hmm, s_ _eems like I'm finally rubbing off on him...'_ "I think Malik might've snapped one or two with his phone. Why, did you want to see the... fruits of our labor?"

His hikari gave a reserved nod. "I'll admit, it sounds really funny." Ryou's face turned more serious again. " _But_ , you're still going over there to remove them- _and_ dispose of any plants that were damaged and won't grow further." The morally-driven teen turned and headed back down the stairs, leaving his disappointed yami to ponder the whole ordeal.

'Great'. The former spirit frowned. 'I set up a love spell, and my hikari yells at me the moment it's cast.' Bakura snorted to himself. 'Hmm... but perhaps it takes a while to work... I'll keep a closer eye on him tonight...'

The rest of the yami's evening was spent watching carefully for any changes- but _nothing_ , not a single bloody thing, seemed different.

Ryou was still acting like normal Ryou- he made Bakura wash the dishes, wouldn't let him eat only meat for supper, and even rebuked him when he tried to prank call the Pharaoh. ( _"Bakura, Japan doesn't even_ _have_ _an 'Illegal Egyptian-Immigrant_ _Detention and_ _Deportation_ _Squad'!"_ )

A few hours later, the ill-tempered thief was back in his room, cursing irritably. 'Stupid spell-book...' By now Bakura had imagined that the slender teen would be treating him like a flawless deity- listening dutifully whenever he spoke, making any meals he requested, waiting on him hand and foot... tch.

He put a finger to his chin in deep reflection. 'Maybe I shouldn't leave off just yet... the spell might take a full day to take effect... it's only been a few hours.'

A voice rang out from somewhere downstairs.

"Bakura, don't forget, you're getting up early tomorrow to go take all the condoms off of Mrs. Ishimoto's carrots and cucumbers!"

...screw it. He'd waited more than long enough.

The bad-tempered thief scowled to himself. 'I'll recast the damned spell- and this time, I'll _doubl_ _e_ the ingredients!' The crimson-eyed yami felt something twinge in his chest. He paused for a moment, and his expression grew grim.

'Does my hikari really hate me so much... that it would take twice as much magic to make him care for me?' But the former spirit pushed the thought aside, grabbing the same bowl as before.

After quickly swiping another comb from the bathroom, Bakura set up the ceremony and repeated the steps. The reddish-mist once again drifted past the door and towards its mark.

Once more, the occult duelist eagerly awaited the results. The ancient magics of the old kingdom weren't like to fail twice.

...right?

Three hours later, Bakura was cursing under his breath as he angrily tore back the covers on the guest bed.

'Fan-bloody-tastic- I spent all that time and effort to steal the damn book, put together the ingredients, and cast that damn spell- _TWICE_ \- and for _what?!_ Ryou hasn't changed a bit! In fact, he's even _less_ drawn to me, if anything!' He glowered as he pictured his hikari's face; his slight hands holding out several pieces of colorful, plastic rectangles. ( _"Really, Bakura, we've been over this! They m_ _ay_ _not be_ _'_ _paper_ _'_ _or 'coin'_ _type-_ _money_ _, but it's still stealing! *sigh* Just..._ _just_ _hand the_ _rest_ _to me;_ _I_ _already_ _have all the credit card company_ _hotline numbers_ _on my phone."_ )

As the ancient outlaw threw himself on top of the bedsheets, he muttered a final curse before closing his eyes.

But the frustrated spell-caster was unaware of the spell's gradually building effect.

Meanwhile, the calm night was broken with the twitching of a slender limb. The softly sleeping duelist's breath paused. Suddenly, the hikari's eyes jolted open in realization.

"Bakura..." The teen whispered passionately before springing from his bed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Urgh..." The Thief King grumbled as he felt the morning sunlight pierce his vision. It felt as though each ray was stabbing his eyes; like an assault of blinding spears from Ra himself.

Bakura groaned and tried to twist away from the dazzling deity. But he was thwarted when the covers refused to budge.

'Hmm?' Bakura then noticed something even more odd.

He wasn't alone.

The thief quickly turned back towards the window. A fluffy head was barely visible from under the bedsheets. The sun's glare was still limiting his vision, but Bakura could make out the light hair and slender features.

"Hikari..." He whispered quietly to himself. _'The potion must have taken a few hours to work!'_

The yami sighed in relief. Now he'd finally get the chance to explore these irksome emotions.

Bakura gave a victorious grin before slowly wrapping his arms around the enchanted teen. Already he felt less of the torturous cravings that plagued his mind.

'He's warm... so soft, and warm...' Just holding his tender light like this was more rewarding than he ever imagined.

But, true to his thief-like nature, he wanted more. Bakura leaned towards his prize's neck, and lightly brushed away the golden hairs to gently kiss the soft, dark ski- wait.

The former spirit paused.

Ryou's skin was the color of powdery snow.

But the skin he was currently caressing was almost copper or bronzed.

Suddenly, the other body shifted and blocked the window. The light from outside was no longer blinding, and Bakura's eyes widened in realization.

" _ **Y** **AAA** Arrghhh!"_

"Hngh?" Malik Ishtar yawned and slowly sat up. "Eh? Bakura?" He drowsily rubbed one eye with the back of his hand. "What's wrong, babe? Did you have a nightmare?"

" _ **YES**_ _,_ and _I'm still having one!"_ The pale spell-caster screeched in shock and revulsion. " _ **What the bloody hell**_ do you think you're _doing _ here?!" The thief's horror only intensified when he realized the blonde wasn't even dressed. _"And why the f*** are you_ _in your_ _boxers?!"_

The tomb keeper's face turned sour. "Well, _pardon me_ , 'Mr. Thief King'; but you were already asleep when I walked in! If you want me to take all my clothes off, then you should at least have the decency to stay awake!" The dark-skinned teen suddenly wrapped his arms firmly around the other's chest. "So... did you want to sleep in a while longer? Or did you any have other ideas~?"

Malik winked, and the tomb robber felt like he was going to pass out- or throw up.

Maybe both.

But for now, the former spirit decided to focus on forcing the blonde nitwit out of his room. He began wrestling against the tomb keeper's grip, but the clueless Malik didn't seem keen on letting go. Bakura's ineffectual plan was only hindered further by a rapid knocking on the bedroom door.

" _Bakura?! Did you just scream? Are you alright?!"_

Bakura groaned at his hikari's concerned voice. But before he could respond, the brazen blonde shouted back.

"We're fine; Baku-baby just had a nightmare!"

There was a pause, and then a click. Ryou slowly opened the door, and his face went completely blank as he took in the scene.

Malik was in bed with Bakura. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of pastel-purple boxers, and he had his arms wrapped tightly around the pale yami. Meanwhile, Bakura was struggling to like a madman, trying to get out of the iron-like death-grip. He began a continuous stream of curses when his captor didn't relent.

" _Let go_ of me, _you psycho_! What is _wrong_ with your demented head?!"

Ryou had barely registered what was going on when he heard the door downstairs suddenly open and slam shut. Only a few people had a spare key to his house, and given the way the door had closed...

" _ **Malik?! MALIK!"**_

A deep, panicky voice echoed upwards from the living room.

Ryou quickly shouted back. "He's up here, Marik!"

There was a swift pounding of steps on the stairs (Ryou couldn't believe how fast they went- Marik must've taken them three at a time!) and another figure appeared in the door frame.

The dark, muscular yami stood in the entryway of the guest bedroom. He was panting heavily, as though he'd run all the way to the Bakura household. His eyes lit up the instant he saw the blonde figure on the bed.

Despite the awkward situation, Marik sounded relieved. " _Malik-love!_ Thank Ra you're alright! You weren't next to me when I woke-" He nearly jumped on his boyfriend, but was shocked by the other boy's reaction. "Malik-love?"

Malik had firmly stuck out one hand, effectively preventing his yami from embracing him.

"What do you think you're doing, interrupting us like this?!" He scowled at his doppelganger.

"Wha- 'interrupting you'?" Marik's expression quickly switched back to distressed. "Hikari? What's going on?"

"What does it look like?" The slighter blonde sounded highly annoyed. "I'm _trying_ to sleep with my  boyfriend!"

There was a moment of utter silence as everyone's eyes widened to Yugi-like levels. Ryou's jaw nearly dropped, and Marik seemed to have frozen in place.

Bakura, meanwhile, was still cursing and thrashing as he struggled to push the needy tomb keeper off.

" _Ra-dammit_ , you freakin' nutcase! Get off me! _**I'm**_ not your boyfriend! He's that muscled-headed moron standing right there,  remember?!" The frustrated thief pointed at the bigger yami.

Malik gave Marik a quick glance before turning away dismissively. "Oh sure, he's attractive- but you're everything I _really_ want- smart, witty, enticing..."

Bakura carried on swearing at his abductor, while Marik started screaming threats at Bakura. The din quickly reached deafening levels. Given that it was still early, the neighbors would likely start to notice; a fact that didn't escape poor Ryou's notice. He was starting to feel anxious as the others bickered and yelled.

Finally, the smallest hikari snapped.

" **QUIET!** **"**

Ryou's sudden outburst shocked the three Egyptians into silence.

The overwhelmed youth sighed and stepped over to the larger Egyptian. " _Everyone_ , please, calm down\- this isn't what it seems." Ryou put on a kind face as he placed a hand on Marik's shoulder.

"Marik." The tall blonde looked down at him, still understandably distraught. "Don't worry- everything is going to be fine. You _know_ Malik loves you- very much. He would never act like this unless he was forced to by someone... or something."

Marik blinked his partly-moist eyes. "But... why? What happened to my Malik-hikari?"

Ryou could only frown. "I must confess, I've been wondering the same thing- but I think perhaps it'd be best to get him back to normal (erm, 'normal' being a relative term) as soon as possible. However, I think we should probably call Ishizu first; since she'll probably also be looking for-"

 _*Ring!* *Ring!* *Ring!*_

Ryou sighed and reached for his phone. "Nevermind... hello? Good morning, Ishizu- oh no, don't worry; he's right here. But there is a small problem... I think he may have been cursed or something... he seems to have become compulsively infatuated with Bakura... er, well I don't think... yes, that should be fine- alright, thank you." The un-charmed hikari hung up and addressed the other duelists. "She has to gather some books and some supplies, but she promised to get here quickly."

Marik glowered at Bakura, as if to say 'that's still not soon enough.'

The smallest youth ignored the other three and starting thinking on the mysterious situation.

"My guess is that this was some sort of curse or spell..." Ryou's forehead scrunched up and he placed the back of one hand up to his chin. Two crimson eyes shifted subtly to watch as the slender boy considered everything. Bakura mentally referred to this expression as Ryou's 'serious thoughts face' (which he considered to be his hikari's fourth cutest expression).

Mercifully, it only took the female tomb keeper a few more minutes to arrive.

In the meantime, a rather tense silence had fallen over the group- Malik was frustrated with Bakura's refusal to return his affections, and was pouting. Bakura, meanwhile, was exhausted from trying to throw the blonde off of him, and was trying not to fall back asleep. And Marik was torn between the desire to throttle the thief, and the desire to steal back his hikari, leading to a very odd expression on his face.

Ryou had wisely decided to wait downstairs, anxiously watching the front door. The foreign woman barely had to knock before she was welcomed in by the flustered hikari.

"Thank you so much for coming by!" Ryou rapidly blurted out as he opened the door.

The exotic visionary blinked and nodded gracefully. "Of course, Ryou." She delicately shifted the large, tan satchel resting against her left hip. "Now, where is my younger brother?"

The slim hikari quickly led the mystic up the stairs and into Bakura's guest/room.

Ishizu paused in the entryway, looking bemusedly at the other three Egyptians. She allowed herself a brief, mischievous grin. "I must confess; I cannot determine if my brother's love life has just improved or worsened."

Thankfully, Marik didn't seem to fully understand the seer's words (his understanding of Japanese was still a bit poor) but Ryou just sighed.

The former outlaw was even less amused. "Just get this idiot _off of me!_ "

Ishizu stepped graciously over to the entangled pair, and began looking over her brother.

"What Bakura _means_ to say, is that we'd all like Malik to be his usual self again." Before Bakura could refute this claim, Ryou gave the other white-haired duelist a sharp look. The thief grumbled to himself, not needing a translation. He knew what Ryou was so tactfully reminding him: they needed Ishizu's assistance.

"Hmm... I am uncertain _why_ someone cast this spell on my sibling; nor to what end." She hoisted up her beige satchel and began digging through the main pocket. "Nevertheless, this should restore my dear brother's mind." The former oracle pulled out a small bundle of what appeared to be brown weeds.

The other duelists stared at the unappealing clump. "Um..."

Ishizu explained as she began calmly sorting through the roots. "These are dried hek'tah herbs- they can be crushed and steeped in tea to create a simple 'dispelling' potion. They are used to help to clear the mind, and should dissolve any unnatural influences."

"They're great for hang-overs, too!" Marik interjected, much to Ishizu's unease.

Ryou nodded and ushered everyone (Malik was still attached to a very irritated Bakura) into the kitchen. "I'll put the kettle on."

The pale hikari quickly prepared everything for the curative potion. The rest of the troop waited quietly for the brew to finish. Marik continued to glare daggers at the tomb robber, while Malik refused to let go of the ever-frustrated thief.

Finally, Ishizu added the roots, and the solution was done. Ryou carefully doled out a healthy portion of potion into a pastel-blue teacup. He gave it directly to Ishizu. The grateful seer then turned to her sibling.

"Here, brother- drink this." She handed the cup to the younger Ishtar, who reluctantly removed one arm from his captive.

After a few seconds of slurping, Malik seemed to fall into a brief trance. His gaze dulled over and his breathing slowed. Then he blinked three times, before finally regaining his senses.

"Eh?" Malik frowned at the pale skin squished against his own. He immediately shoved Bakura off of him, looking annoyed. "Geez, Bakura; haven't you heard of personal space?!"

"Malik-love!" Marik literally pushed the other yami away from his hikari as he embraced the liberated teen.

"Marik-honey? What's wrong? Why are we at Ryou's? And why so early?" But Marik was too overjoyed to answer his hikari. Bakura was trying to shake the feeling back into his arms, and Ryou was (carefully) disposing of the remaining tea.

Only Ishizu was able to concern herself with the explanation her brother sought. "It seems you were placed under a spell, dear brother." She seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Which is most interesting, seeing how certain... items have been turning up missing from the museum's Egyptian-designated storage areas. Minute quantities of natural items. Items that could be used to cast a spell." She turned pointedly towards the pallid yami. "An _infatuation_ spell, to be exact."

Everyone turned towards the Thief King. The ancient renegade struggled not to panic.

"Tomb robber? Perhaps you can clarify the situation?"

 _...'shit.'_

"B-Bakura?" Ryou sounded hurt as he questioned his housemate. "Why did you try to make Malik fall in love with you?"

"He did _**WHAT!?**_ " Malik screeched in revulsion.

"I didn't try to enamor that _fool_!" The thief hissed. "The stupid spell failed! Twice!"

Ryou was lost. "Then, what was the spell meant to do to Malik?"

" _Nothing!_ " The former spirit scowled. "I don't even understand why the spell targeted him!"

"Spells are not docile servants." Ishizu patiently informed them. "You must always take great care when casting one." She calmly turned her crystal-blue gaze towards the Thief King. "Tell me, what did you use as the sampling of _ba_ for the last ingredient?"

"Hair! Hair from two Ra-damned hairbrushes!"

"What?!" Malik yelped mistrustfully. "You mean _you're_ the one who stole my favorite purple hairbrush last week?!"

The reserved sister seemed to lose a fraction of her composure as she interjected. "Brother,I found that hairbrush two days ago. Or perhaps I should say: I found its melted remains?"

Malik gave an awkward grin. "Oh, yeah; sorry about that- the oven still works though, right?"

A nearly invisible sigh drifted outwards as Ishizu reluctantly replied. "Yes, although our next few meals may contain some errant glitter."

Ryou gently interrupted the siblings. "Sorry, but I'm still a bit confused- if Bakura didn't mean to charm Malik, then why did the spell go after him?"

Ishizu gave a rather mysterious smile. "I suspect the hair from the hairbrush was _not_ from the person the thief intended on enchanting."

"Exactly!" The former spirit pointed triumphantly towards the ex-seer. "I didn't take anything from that straw-headed twit! And Ra knows I didn't mean to 'enamor' him, either! I thought the brushes were both Ryou's..." Bakura's voice faded as he revealed the aim of his secret spell-casting.

Ishizu barely seemed surprised by the statement, but the two blondes stayed still in stunned silence.

"Eh?" Ryou's face flushed to a tender pink. "M-me?" He held a fair hand up to his mouth. But the smallest hikari didn't seem offended- in fact, his expression soon grew into pleased bemusement. "But- then why did you use the gray hairbrush? You do know that's the one Malik uses whenever he and Marik stay over, right?"

Bakura seemed embarrassed by his hikari's questions. "Well, I needed to grab a second brush because the first one didn't work- and I thought you used both of them."

Marik was intrigued by the use of magic, and butted in rudely. "Wait, why didn't it work the first time? Didn't Baka-kura read the instructions right?"

Malik finally spoke as well, his face showing off an excessively smug grin. "Oh no, Marik-honey; I think I know what happened- and I bet Mr. Thief King knows as well."

Ishizu calmly nodded. "Indeed- the answer is quite simple. The spell failed because the Thief King was trying to steal the one thing that cannot be stolen. That is; something that _already_ belongs to you."

"What?" The thief stared in disbelief. His dumbfounded gaze drifted towards Ryou.

The hikari was smiling shyly, and although Ryou looked embarrassed, he didn't seem upset. His face grew an even richer flush as he explained. "Bakura... you didn't need to cast that spell. Or any spell, for that matter." Ryou's soft, cocoa eyes seemed to echo his coy smile. "I've been falling for you ever since you returned with Yami and Marik. I'm- I'm _very_ fond of you-" The boy finally turned his head aside in embarrassment. "In fact, that's why I let you stay here... with me."

"What?!" The former scourge of Egypt was shocked. "But- but you got mad when I prank called the Pharaoh! And when I trapped that neighbor's damned cat in the sewer! And countless other times!"

"Bakura... I do sincerely care for you." Ryou's face was still crimson-tinged, but it began fading with his next words. " _But_ , that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you do whatever you want! This world has rules- and yes; I'll admit- some of them make little or no sense. But modern life is very different from your original world, and if you want to survive here you need to be a little more subtle, alright?"

The pale yami looked like he wanted to protest, but his lighter half wasn't done. "Little pranks are fine, (erm, once in a while) but if you run around with weapons or try to use shadow powers you're going to get in trouble- or worse." Ryou smiled gently. "I don't want you to get hurt."

The thief huffed irritably. "Then how the bloody hell am I supposed to figure out all these Ra-damned unreasonable rules?!"

Ryou gave a slightly teasing grin. "Well, I wouldn't mind... teaching you a bit." He shuffled closer to his yami, and his expression grew more sincere as he elaborated. "This second chance the gods gave you- this life- is a gift. I want to see you enjoy it. I know you're not used to all this peace and civility today, but maybe we can find some other ways for you to practice your, erm, hobbies? Like martial arts, or sword-fighting classes? And of course there's _**regular**_ card games-" Bakura started to protest but Ryou spoke right over him, "-they don't _have_ to involve blood, you know."

"Then what's the point of playing?!"

Ryou sighed. "Well, maybe we can get you involved in some online tournaments- that should be enough brutality for your cravings."

The semi-reformed villain smirked. "Can I brutally mock my opponents before _and_ after I crush them into the dirt?"

Ryou gave a half-serious groan. "Fine; whatever works, Bakura." The shy teen impetuously stood up on his tip-toes and gave his darker half a brief kiss on the cheek. "We'll figure it out together."

Even Bakura's pallid face started to turn crimson after that little sampling of affection. Malik and Marik were both staring in confusion, but the elder Ishtar was hiding a smile as she packed up her supplies. Ryou hid his chagrin by motioning to the three on-lookers. "Um, Ishizu needs to leave soon, so I have to go thank her again. But first, I'm going to go and find some pain pills and an ice pack."

"Eh?" Bakura raised an eyebrow in concern. "When did you get a headache?"

The slender hikari shook his head and turned towards the stairs. "Oh, they're not for me. Try turning around, Mr. Pale Magician."

The bewildered spell-caster turned- and found himself face-to-face with an incredibly enraged Marik.

"Oh... sh*t."

Ryou was already digging through the medicine cabinet when he heard the start of a deafening disturbance downstairs.

" _You twisted tomb robber!_ You will be _**begging**_ for Ammit's maw before I'm finished with you!"

"Argh! That was a cheap shot, you blonde b*stard! And for the last time, it was a bloody _accident_ \- you're the only moron crazy enough to actually date that tomb-keeping psycho of yours!"

There was a loud crash, followed by more cursing and yelling.

Ryou hardly flinched at the various noises. He continued searching through the medical supplies, finally wincing when he heard a deafening smashing sound.

The hikari couldn't help but sigh- at least things were back to normal.

'Still, I do hope they don't break anything.'


End file.
